To Get to Him
by To'M'L Kuran
Summary: Hinata's crush on Naruto faded during his time away. Another has stolen her heart: the new Kazekage of Suna. Their time together is scarce, but cherished. When the Akatsuki intercepts a love letter from Gaara, Hinata's life is put in danger. Now Gaara must sacrifice everything for the woman he loves.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome to To Get to Him. This takes place several months before the start of Shippuden. I'll be posting on Fridays. Please review and let me know what you think :)**

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><p><em>My dearest Hinata,<em>

_ All is well in Suna. Our village has been prosperous as of late. I hope you will soon be able to come see it. Suna is very different from Konoha, but it is equally as beautiful. When we are finally able to be together in my homeland, I want to show you the best place to watch a desert sunset. It is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, but not as beautiful as you. I still have trouble expressing my emotions through words, but I learning how to express them through actions. When I next see you, I will leave you no doubt of my feelings. _

_ Until then,_

_ Your Gaara_

Hinata held the letter to her chest, blushing madly. How she longed to be holding her Gaara at that very moment. She imagined him beside her, hearing his voice as she read his letter. Soon, she would go to Suna and be reunited with her beloved.

She thought back on the strange beginning of their courtship.

**Three Months Earlier**

Tsunade-sama had called Hinata to her office. The Hokage's message had told her that she was to be an escort to a foreign dignitary, but had failed to mention who it was or where they were from.

'I guess I'll find out soon,' Hinata had thought as she approached the Hokage's office. Inside the room sat Tsunade and her assistant, Shizune, as well as a foreign Kage whose face she couldn't see.

"Ah, Hinata, right on time. This is Sunakagure's new Kazekage. I want you to show him around and be his guide while he's here. I believe you've already met once or twice."

The Kazekage turned around and revealed the face of a familiar redhead.

"G-Gaara-kun! I-I mean Gaara-s-sama."

Gaara gave a slight smile in greeting.

Hinata blushed as she took note of how handsome the young man had become.

"Go take our guest to his rooms and then take him to get something to eat. It's a long journey from Suna."

Hinata nodded. "R-right this way, Kazekage-sama."

The shy Kunoichi lead the redheaded Kazekage through the Hokage tower until they reached the area dedicated to foreign dignitaries. There were four sets of rooms; each one dedicated to the four other main shinobi nations. Hinata opened the door with the symbol for the Wind Country on it.

"T-this will be your room, G-gaara-sama. T-there are rooms downstairs for the rest of your traveling party. I-I hope everything is satisfactory."

"Hn," Gaara said with a nod. He looked out of the window at Konoha, deep in thought.

Hinata stood there twiddling her fingers nervously. "W-whenever you're ready, I can take you somewhere for lunch. W-would you like to change first?"

"Yes, I'll just be a minute, Hinata-san."

Hinata nodded and waited outside of the door. When Gaara emerged from the room, he was dressed in a maroon trench coat and black pants. His signature gourd was strapped to his back.

"I-is there any place in particular you would like to go? Or anyone you would like to see?"

Gaara thought for a moment. "Uzumaki Naruto. I would like to see him."

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata blushed at the mention of her long time crush. "I-I'm sorry, Gaara-sama, but Naruto-kun is away right now. H-he's been training with Jiraya-sama for the last two years."

Gaara looked slightly disappointed. "That's too bad. I would have liked to see him again."

"Y-you really like Naruto-kun, don't you, Gaara-sama."

Gaara nodded. "I owe him my life. When he beat me during the Chunin exams two years ago, he set my life on the right path. It is because of him that I am who I am today. For this reason, Suna will always be Konoha's ally as long as I am Kazekage."

Hinata smiled. She knew the effect the blond shinobi had on people.

"W-we never spent much time together, but e-even so, I saw the change in you. T-to be perfectly honest, I was sort of scared after seeing you fight during the second part of the exams. One of my teammates even warned me to give up if I were to face you during the preliminaries."

He looked slightly pained by her words. "That was wise of him. I was truly ruthless then. You probably would have been killed."

"I-I can tell you've changed a lot though. Y-You came to help bring back Sasuke-kun. Y-You saved Lee-kun's life. And now, you've become Kazekage. N-Naruto-kun will probably be jealous of you when he finds out that you became Kazekage before he became Hokage."

Gaara smiled slightly at the thought of his friend's jealousy.

"H-Hey! I have an idea. W-Why don't we honor Naruto-kun by eating at his favorite restaurant. H-He might not be here to eat with us, but by being there it will be like Naruto-kun is with us."

Gaara nodded at the idea and followed Hinata to Naruto's favorite ramen spot.

"Welcome, Hinata-chan!" the chef's daughter greeted her. "Who's this young fellow you've brought with you? Your boyfriend?"

Hinata blushed madly. "N-No, no! T-T-This is G-Gaara-s-sama! H-He's the Kazekage of Suna. I-I'm showing him around while he's visiting."

"Oh! A Kage! And you've chosen our fine establishment to show him where to get Konoha's finest ramen! Smart girl!"

"H-He's also a friend of Naruto-kun. W-we decided to come here since it's Naruto-kun's favorite spot."

"Well in that case, how about Naruto-kun's usual?" the chef suggested.

Gaara and Hinata both accepted the idea. In moments, they were eating Naruto's favorite ramen; both wishing the blond shinobi was with them.

The meal was mostly silent, due to Hinata's shyness and the Kazekage's lack of social skills, but it was still enjoyable.

After the meal, Hinata brought Gaara back to the Hokage tower, and they parted ways for the evening.

"G-Good night, Gaara-sama. I hope you sleep well."

"I don't sleep."

Hinata was taken back by his words. "W-Well th-then, I hope you enjoy…wh-whatever it is that you do for the rest of the evening."

Gaara nodded. "Good night, Hinata-san. I shall see you tomorrow for breakfast."

Later that night, Hinata found herself unable to sleep. She kept thinking about the redheaded Kazekage and his insomnia.

'I wonder why he doesn't sleep,' she found herself thinking. 'Maybe I can ask him tomorrow.'

After an hour of tossing and turning, Hinata decided to take a look around the village with her Byakugan. She saw many things this way, but she focused her incredible vision on the Hokage tower, looking for Gaara. She noticed he wasn't in his room, but was instead on the roof.

'What's he doing up there?' she thought to herself.

She decided she shouldn't spy on him anymore than she already had and deactivated her Byakugan. It was another hour before the dark haired kunoichi fell asleep. When she did, she was still thinking about the visiting Kage.

"G-Good morning, Gaara-sama," Hinata greeted the Kazekage the next morning. "D-Did you have a good evening?"

The redhead shrugged. "It was fine."

Hinata bit her lip and twiddled her fingers. She wanted to bring up what she'd seen the previous night, but was unsure how to bring it up.

"Something is bothering you. What is it?"

She blushed. "Uh…w-well…I-I-I was having d-difficulty sleeping last night, s-so I was looking around with my B-Byakugan. I-I saw you on the roof, a-and I was curious. W-What were you doing on the roof?"

"I often find myself watching the sky at night. I do not sleep because of the demon sealed inside of me. In Suna, I keep watch over the village at night. It is merely a habit to be on the roof at night."

'That explains the dark rings around his eyes,' thought Hinata.

"W-Would you like company sometime?"

Gaara seemed surprised at her offer, but he nodded. "That would be appreciated. I've been avoided by people for most of my life."

"B-Because of the demon inside of you."

Gaara nodded solemnly.

"T-That's not fair!" Hinata stated, defending him. "I-It's not your fault that it's inside of you. W-Why did they do that to you?"

Gaara smiled sadly. "It is very kind of you to defend me, Hinata-san, but I was very unstable as a child. As I grew…well, you saw how I was when we first met at the Chunin exams. I do not blame them for avoiding me like the monster I was."

"I-I didn't think you were a monster! Y-Yes, I was scared, but I never thought of you as a monster. P-P-Please don't speak so poorly of yourself."

Gaara looked shocked. Hinata smiled at him, a blush present on her cheeks.

"Come on," she said, "I'll show you my favorite place to get breakfast!"

The stunned Kazekage followed the leaf Kunoichi out of the Hokage tower. Hinata couldn't help but notice how cute the redhead looked when he was so shocked.

Gaara and Hinata parted ways after breakfast so he could attend a meeting with the Hokage. The meeting was expected to go through lunch, so Hinata told him she'd see him for dinner.

"Yo! Hinata!"

"Hi Kiba-kun!"

"I've seen you hanging around that redhead guy from the sand village the last couple of days. What gives? You two dating or something? What was his name? Goora? Gaaro?"

"I-I-It's nothing like that, K-K-Kiba-kun! I-I-I'm j-j-just G-Gaara-s-sama's guide while he's in K-Konoha."

" 'Gaara-sama' huh?"

"Y-Yes, he's the Kazekage now."

"Really? No way! If you told me that when we all first met, I wouldn't 've believed you. Jeez! Remember how freaky that guy used to be? He's still not someone I'd wanna mess with."

"P-Please don't talk about Gaara-sama like that, Kiba-kun. H-He's really a very kind person."

"Huh? What are you getting so flustered about, Hinata?"

"N-N-N-Nothing!"

"Don't tell me you're hung up on this guy now? I thought you had a thing for Naruto."

"I-I-I d-d-don't know what you're talking about!"

Kiba laughed. "You do have a thing for Gaara, don't you!"

Hinata blushed brightly. Did she have a thing for Gaara? She hardly knew him.

'He seems really kind though,' She thought, "Very kind. And very handsome too."

Kiba laughed again. "You've got that dreamy look on your face, Hinata. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You kids have fun!"

Kiba continued his laughing as he walked off, leaving behind a blushing Hinata.

Hinata and Gaara's dinner was incredibly awkward that night. Hinata was acting even more shy than normal. She couldn't even look Gaara in the eye. This didn't go unnoticed by the young Kazekage.

"Is something troubling you, Hinata-san? You seem tense this evening."

"I-I-It's n-nothing, Gaara-sama," Hinata stammered with a blush.

The redhead didn't seem convinced.

"I-I-It's just…People are getting the wrong impression about us."

"What do you mean?"

"T-They… They think we are…a couple."

"A couple?"

Hinata nodded. She couldn't help but notice that the idea of being in a relationship with someone seemed to be a foreign concept to the young man in front of her.

"Kiba-kun teased me terribly for it."

"I apologies for the trouble I have caused you. If you no longer wish to be my guide here in Konoha, I will understand. I can ask Tsunade-sama for someone else."

"Oh! N-N-N-No, Gaara-sama! It's not like that at all! I enjoy showing you around Konoha! Kiba-kun just took things too far this afternoon. I had no intention of leaving you."

Gaara smiled slightly.

"I'm glad, Hinata-san. I still find social interaction to be somewhat of a challenge for me; however, I find it less challenging around you."

Hinata smiled, and blushed, at his words. She was happy he was comfortable around her.

"Gaara-sama, I'm very happy that you are more comfortable around me. Please feel free to call me by just my name. I don't feel that 'san' is necessary between us."

"Hinata…" he tested her name out. "If you are to be 'Hinata' to me, then allow me to be 'Gaara' to you."

Hinata smiled brightly.

Later, the pair found themselves sitting on the roof of the Hokage tower. Hinata was pointing out the different places they could see.

"And that's the academy over there. Over there is the training grounds were we all took the chunin exams together. And those are all the Hokages Konoha's ever had. And over there's the Hyuga compound. That's where I live."

Hinata was a lot more relaxed now then she was at the start of dinner. There was a comfortable atmosphere between her and Gaara now that she'd been honest about what'd happened. She still found herself blushing whenever she thought about the fact that they were alone on a roof surrounded by the starlit sky. It seemed like such a romantic setting.

She turned to face her companion. He was staring at her with a soft look in his eye.

"What is it, Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"You were staring at me."

He paused for a moment, contemplating what to say. "I was staring because…you look very nice in the moonlight."

Hinata blushed brightly, causing Gaara to smile softly.

He motioned for her to sit next to him, which she did. She sat close to him, trying to keep warm in the cool night air.

"Gaara, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"What made you decide to become Kazekage?"

"I wanted to be someone precious to my village. I spent most of my life being an object of fear and terror. I decided I didn't want that anymore. I wanted to be a part of my village. I wanted to connect to the people of Suna. Before I met Naruto, my ties to others brought only pain and sorrow. But Naruto pushed me to change that. He taught me that i could share my suffering and sadness and joy with other people. I didn't have to keep it to myself. He taught me that I could change the path my life would follow. I wanted to be something precious to other."

Hinata smiled. "You are precious to people, Gaara."

The two were growing closer without either realizing it. Hinata rested her hand on Gaara's. He caressed her cheek and brushed away the hairs that fell in her face. The two shared what would be the first of many kisses.

**Present**

Hinata sighed thinking about that first kissed she and Gaara had shared. After an evening of kissing and holding each other, Hinata had fallen asleep in Gaara's arms. He'd brought her back home the next morning and formally asked her father for permission to court her. Her father, not being able to deny a Kage, gave his blessing to the relationship. Gaara had spent his every free moment with Hinata for the rest of his visit to Konoha.

Gaara's departure had been hard on Hinata—although her father was thrilled to no longer worry about the couple taking their relationship too far too soon—but the young lovers made their long distance relationship work. They hadn't seen each other in the three months since the start of their relationship, but they sent love letters to each other weekly. Neither doubted the other's feelings, even though the exact words had yet to be said.

Now it was Hinata's turn to write a letter. And she had great news to share.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thanks to all of you who reviewed! I'm glad you like this so far. Here's chapter 2 :)**

_My beloved Gaara,_

_ I am glad all is well in Suna. I am excited to finally see it with my own eyes. Tsunade-sama and my father have granted me permission to travel to Suna. Although, I was surprised to find out that you'd already been in contact with both of them, also seeking permission for my visit. That made asking them much easier for me. I can't wait to finally be with you again. _

_ Until then my beloved,_

_ Your Hinata._

Gaara read the letter over and over again, still not believing his eyes. What had always been denied him was finally happening; he had a real chance at love. He still wasn't that great at expressing himself verbally, but, when Hinata got there, he would make sure there was no doubt in her mind about his feelings for her. She was truly his most precious person.

The Kazekage looked out his window, out to his beloved village. Everything in his life, for once, seemed to be falling into place. He was the Kazekage. He was respected and needed by his people. He had the love of his brother and sister, who he loved in return. And he had Hinata. Sweet, beautiful, wonderful Hinata.

He hadn't seen her since his parting from Konoha three months ago. During his time there, she'd gained a little more confidence and lost some of her adorable stutter. He actually found it quite adorable how shy she could be sometimes.

There was a knock on the door, disturbing Gaara's thoughts about his beloved.

"Yes?" he answered.

Temari entered his office.

"So, did you hear back from Hinata?"

Gaara nodded. "Both the Hokage and her father have granted her permission to leave the village to come here. I will write back to her shortly so we can arrange the details."

Temari smiled at her little brother. "Does she know you've been plotting with them behind her back to get her over here?"

"Apparently so."

Temari squeezed Gaara's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Little Brother. You've got so much going for you. You've finally got peace and happiness in your life. By the way, you still haven't told me the surprise you have for her?"

Gaara gave a small smirk. "I know. That was on purpose. You shall find out when Hinata finds out."

Temari gave him a small, playful glare, followed by a smile. "Fine! Keep your secrets! I'll find out eventually."

Temari left Gaara with a chuckle.

He sat down at his desk and took out a black box. There were many papers and another small box inside. He added Hinata's letter to the collection before returning it to its hiding place.

'Soon,' he thought.

Then he took out a new piece of parchment and began drafting a letter to Hinata.


	3. Chapter 3

Hinata was bursting with excitement. Gaara had sent two shinobi from Suna as guides for her. They'd gotten here two days ago. After a day of rest, they were scheduled to leave today. Hinata was all packed and ready to go; she was just waiting for her escorts. She couldn't wait to be reunited with her Gaara. In one of his recent letters, he'd said that he'd leave her with no doubt of his feelings when they were reunited.

'I wonder what he meant by that,' Hinata thought.

Just then, a knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts.

"C-come in," Hinata stammered.

"Hinata," Neji said as he poked his head inside the door. "The escorts from Suna are here. Are you ready?"

"Hai," Hinata replied with a slight blush added to her excited smile. She was finally leaving to see the homeland of her beloved. Words couldn't describe how excited she was.

She picked up her bag and followed her cousin out to the main gate of the complex. Waiting for her were two men in standard shinobi clothes for Suna-nin.

"Greetings, Hinata-sama," one man said in a friendly voice. The other man nodded in greeting.

Part of Hinata was nervous about traveling with two strange men, but these were men hand-chosen by Gaara, so they must be all right to travel with.

"If you are ready, Hinata-sama, then we can leave immediately," the friendly man said.

Neji turned to Hinata. "If you want, I can come with."

Hinata smiled, but shook her head. "That's alright, Neji-nii-san. These are men hand-picked by Gaara. If he trusts them to get me to Suna, then so do I."

Neji hugged his cousin and wished her safety on her journey. Hanabi, who'd also come to see Hinata off, also hugged her. She whispered to Hinata, "Go enjoy some alone time with your hot piece of Suna man-candy." This caused Hinata to blush madly, much to Hanabi's delight. Hinata's father didn't hug her or show affection, but told her daughter that he blessed the relationship. For Hinata, that was more than enough.

Hinata and her two traveling companions had been traveling, for the most part, in silence for the last day. It was a three-day journey at full pace, but the group was traveling at a leisurely pace so it would probably take up to five days. At the end of the first day, they set up two tents: one for Hinata and one for the Suna-nin who wasn't on guard duty. Usually on missions, Hinata was the one on guard duty due to her near 360-degree vision, but tonight she was a client not an on-duty shinobi. It was a nice change for her.

Hinata looked around at her surroundings. They'd been facing the sun all evening. That meant they had been going due west all day. But Suna was to the southwest of Konoha. So where we these men taking her? Hinata bid the men goodnight and went into her tent where she silently activated her Byuakugan. Something wasn't right here, and Hinata was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Neji had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. He'd had this feeling ever since Hinata's escorts had come for her. But what was it? What was wrong?

"Yo! Hyuuga!" a familiar voice called, disrupting Neji's thought. Before him stood the Kazekage's sister and student.

"Temari-san, Mitsuri-san, what are you guys doing here?"

"Picking up Hinata, duh! Where is she? We can probably head out tonight still."

"What are you talking about? Two men from Suna already came to get Hinata."

"What? Gaara told her we were coming to get her. He thought she'd be more comfortable with two girls as traveling companions."

"His letter just said that he was sending two shinobi. No names were listed. I read it myself."

Temari thought for a moment. "Someone must have intercepted the letter and forged a new one. But why?"

"Someone's trying to kidnap Hinata!"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sorry this is late. I started working and it's been crazy. Hope you're all enjoying this :)**

Hinata was in a sticky situation. That was an understatement; her situation was horrible. As soon as she had figured out her escorts were imposters, they had turned on her. She'd done her best to run away, but speed wasn't her strongest suit and she was outnumbered. These two were way out of her league and she was quickly taken down. Now, she'd just woken up in a dark room surrounded by men in black cloaks with red clouds on them. The two fake Suna shinobi were with them.

"She's coming too, un," said the fake that had been friendly. With a pop, he transformed into a blond man in the same cloak as the rest of them. The other fake transformed into a strange wooden beast.

"Well done Deidara, Sasori," said a man with orange spiky hair and strange piercings. "She should be the perfect bait for One Tails."

Hinata was still rather dazed and didn't understand what was happening. She just stared at them dumbly. The two men, Deidara and Sasori, must have hit her over the head pretty hard.

"She's a hot little bitch! Bet she likes a good fucking!"

"Shut up, Hidan, un! You sick bastard!"

"When we're done with her, the Hyuuga will pay a hefty sum for her safe return."

'What do these people want with me?' Hinata thought.

"Enough, Kakuzu. Deidara, did you send the ransom note to Suna?"

"Sure did, un. It was fun watching the messenger explode in their faces. Art's a blast!"

"Good. Any response yet?"

"We gave the Kazekage four days to respond before we slit her throat."

"It's a good thing the Hyuuga will want her body back alive or dead. Even then, we can still pawn off her eyes. Someone will pay quite well for her Byakugan."

That sent a chill down Hinata's spine. Who were these people?

"Wh-Who are you? Wh-Why have you taken me?"

"So you're awake?" The orange haired man observed. "We are the Akatsuki."

"A-Akatsuki? Aren't you the ones after Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, the Nine Tails Jinchuriki is one our list. His time will come, but first we need the One Tails."

'One Tails? Didn't Gaara mention that the Shukaku was the one tailed beast?'

"You're after Gaara, aren't you?"

"Cleaver girl. Yes, the Kazekage is our target."

"But taking the Shukaku will kill him!"

"No life is worth more than our goal. He is a necessary sacrifice."

Hinata struggled against her binds.

"I-I won't let you hurt Gaara!"

"Ha! Whatcha gonna do, Bitch?"

The man who spoke to her grabbed her by the chin, taunting her. In a moment of anger and bravery, Hinata fought back by biting his hand.

"Ow! You dumb bitch! That fucking hurt!" He smacked her across the face.

Some of the men laughed at him.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled back.

"I won't let you hurt Gaara!" Hinata said again, this time with more authority in her voice.

The orange haired man stood before her; his presence was overwhelming.

"We will take the One Tailed Shukaku from your Gaara. He will come for you and die in your place. Accept that fate and despair in your reality."

With that, the Akatsuki left her in her dark room.

'Gaara…please do not come for me. Let me die instead. I would gladly die for you.'


	5. Chapter 5

Gaara was devastated. Hinata had been missing for two days now. Yesterday, a ransom letter had come—along with a small explosion—demanding that Gaara come to a prearranged location and hand himself over in return for Hinata's safety. If he didn't come to that location in two days, they would kill Hinata.

The letter stated that the group that had kidnapped Hinata was called the Akatsuki. Gaara had heard of them. The group had tried to kidnap Naruto a few years back, only to be stopped by Master Jiraiya. If Gaara handed himself over, the group would extract Shukaku from him and kill him.

Gaara reached into his desk and found the box he'd intended to give to Hinata. He loved Hinata with all his heart. She was the only person he'd ever felt this way about, the only person he ever would feel this way about. As much as Suna needed their Kazekage, Hinata needed him more.

Gaara had instructed the shinobi that had brought him the letter not to inform anyone else about it. He knew that if he tried to go to his death, his people would stop him. But he had to save Hinata; he'd never forgive himself if he let Hinata die in his place.

He set the box down on his desk and began to draft a letter to his brother and sister stating what he wanted them to do for Suna after his death. Kankuro was to take his place until the Jonin council could determine a new Kazekage. Temari was to look after Hinata and give her the box that would be found with the letter. He also wrote a final farewell to his people.

Gaara gave his office one last glance before taking off to the meeting point. It was a two days journey to his destination. If the gods decided to show him any favor, maybe he would be able to hold his Hinata one last time before his death.


	6. Chapter 6

Hinata was sore and tired when the Akatsuki members dragged her from her cell. She'd hardly slept since she'd been captured and her food and drink had been minimal. They'd blindfolded her with a special material that even her Byakugan couldn't see through and lead her from her cell to something large made of clay. The large clay thing flew them far from the Akatsuki hide out. Once they'd reached their destination, the Akatsuki members threw Hinata to the ground. The grass was soft and the air smelt of flowers; they must have been in a meadow. After a while, she felt a familiar chakra signature that made her heart soar and sink at the same time.

"So you came," said the Akatsuki leader.

"Give me Hinata," Gaara growled. "I want to make sure she's alright."

Hinata felt herself being dragged up then shoved towards Gaara. She felt Gaara's strong arms catch her as she fell forward.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked softly.

"Yes. A little shaken, but I'm alright."

"Good. I love you so much, Hinata. You are my most precious person and I wish I could have shown you that more."

He pressed a kiss into her forehead before Hinata felt herself being pulled from Gaara's arms. She heard a thump as Gaara's body hit the ground.

"Gaara!" she screamed his name and struggled against the Akatsuki member that held her captive. "Gaara! Gaara!" Tears flooded her eyes as she realized what was happening. They were going to exchange his life for hers. They were going to kill the man she loved. "Gaara!"

She was silenced when she was hit over the head by something heavy.

When she came too, her eyes were itchy from tears and she found herself once again on the flying lump of clay.

"Gaara…" she murmured.

"Oh, so you're awake, un?"

Her memories of what had just happened returned to her and tears started to fall again as she sobbed quietly.

"Don't be like that, un. Stop crying." They landed and Hinata fell into the desert sand. The Akatsuki member stood her upright and turned her so she faced a certain direction. "Suna is a few kilometers the way you're facing. You should be able to make it on your own."

"Aren't you going to untie me?"

"Sorry, Sweetheart. Can't have you removing your blindfold and using those eyes of your to follow me, un." With that, he flew away, leaving Hinata utterly defenseless.

She started in the direction she was pointed in. The desert heat beat down on her pale skin. She was parched, hungry, and blindfolded. With luck, someone had seen them fly down and was coming to investigate.

However, it seemed Hinata was not lucky today. No one noticed her. She walked awkwardly through the desert, completely relying on her lower body to guide her through the uneven terrain. It wasn't long before she collapsed out of exhaustion. Perhaps luck was on her side though; she collapsed right outside of the Suna gates.


	7. Chapter 7

Hinata opened her eyes to find herself in an infirmary. She saw several familiar faces, including Temari, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata! Good, you're awake!" He said with a smile.

"What happened?"

"We found you outside of the Suna gates," Temari said. "You were tied up, blindfolded, and dehydrated. You've got a bit of a sun burn, but you're ok now."

"You have to go after Gaara. He handed himself over to the Akatsuki."

"We know. That's why Team Kakashi is here. We called them right after we found Gaara's note."

Hinata felt tears forming. "It's all my fault! If I had realized they were imposters earlier, I wouldn't have been captured and Gaara wouldn't have handed himself over to save me!"

"No one's blaming you, Hinata," Sakura said, placing a hand on the weeping girl's shoulder. "We'll get him back, don't worry."

"Yeah! No one takes our friend and gets away with it! Believe it!"

Hinata smiled up at her former classmate. Even though her feelings for Naruto were no longer what they were, she still admired the blond.

"I found this along with Gaara's note," Temari said, handing Hinata a small box. "He said that he didn't think he'd be coming back and wanted me to give this to you if something happened to him."

Hinata slowly opened the box, only to cry when she discovered the contents.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

Hinata placed a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her cries. She turned the box so the others could see. Inside was a diamond ring.

"HE WAS GOING TO PROPOSE?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I-in his last letter, G-Gaara said he would leave me with no doubt of his feelings the next time he saw me. I-I guess this is what he meant."

Hinata held the ring close to her heart.

'Oh Gaara…"

"N-Naruto-kun, please promise me you will bring him back to me."

Naruto gave her thumbs up. "Believe it!"


	8. Chapter 8

Although Sakura insisted that Hinata needed to stay in Suna and rest, the Hyuga heir refused; she was determined to help rescue her fiancé. So, Hinata, ring on her finger set out for the Akatsuki base with Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura, and Elder Chiyo.

During the journey, Elder Chiyo told the group about Gaara's tailed beast. Hinata had already known about it, but Sakura was surprised to learn about it. The old woman told the group that Konoha was home to one of the tailed beasts. Hinata had no idea what she was talking about, but she noticed Naruto get awfully quiet. Kakashi told them that it was considered top secret in the leaf village. Hinata was still concerned for her friend though.

The group encountered a fake Itachi Uchiha during the journey. After defeating the imposter, their pace decreased. Kakashi had the group rest so they would have the energy to fight when they reached the Akatsuki hide out. Hinata couldn't sleep during the break: she felt too ill with grief. Elder Chiyo had informed them that the Akatsuki had already started extracting the Shukaku, a process that would kill him. Hinata felt terrible that she was resting while Gaara's life was in great danger.

On the second day of the journey, Elder Chiyo told the story of how she had sealed the One Tailed Shukaku into Gaara before his birth. After hearing her tale, Hinata couldn't help but feel resentful towards the old woman. While Hinata wasn't a very hateful person, how could she not be angry with the person who had caused the love of her life to suffer?

'Gaara…please wait for me. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don't let our time together end so soon. I want to marry you, have children with you, and grow old with you. Hold on, Gaara.'

* * *

><p>When Team Kakashi, Elder Chiyo, and Hinata arrived at the Akatsuki hideout, Team Guy was already there.<p>

"Hinata-sama! You're okay! Thank goodness!

Hinata rushed into her cousin's welcoming embrace.

"I'm scared, Neji-nii-san!"

"I know. It will be alright though."

Neji looked through the barrier with his Byakugan to see what was going on. Hinata herself was too nervous to look. He said the scene was indescribable.

The barrier had five tags that needed to be removed at the same time. Neji and Hinata located the four other tags and Team Guy set off to remove them, everyone communicating by radio.

When everyone was in place, Kakashi removed the seal and Sakura smashed the boulder. After the entrance was clear, Team Kakashi, Elder Chiyo, and Hinata entered the hideout. The scene they were met with was awful.

"We're too late," Kakashi whispered.

Gaara was lying on the floor, completely still, and Deidara and Sasori were sitting on him.

Tears fell down Hinata's cheeks. "Gaara!" She screamed.

Naruto was also losing his cool.

"You bastards!" He roared. "I'll kill the both of you! Where the hell do you think you're sitting?!"

"Get off of him!" Hinata screamed.

"Gaara! What the hell are you doing? Why are you just lying there? Get up!"

Naruto continued to yell at the dead Kazekage. Hinata just sunk to her knees and cried. Sakura had to support her. Kakashi had to hold Naruto back from charging into a fight blindly.

Sasori and Deidara bickered back and forth over art, acting like the group wasn't even here. Sasori blocked Naruto's attack without even looking. Deidara made a giant clay bird and flew off with Gaara's body.

"Gaara!" Hinata screamed, immediately following with Naruto close after her.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going?!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi followed after the Hyuga Heir and the young Jinchuriki, both ignoring the jounin's pleas that they remain there.

After a crazy chase that involved far too many explosions for Hinata's taste, they finally caught up with Deidara. Naruto cut off the clay bird's head and then he, two clones, and Hinata proceeded to dig through the clay, desperately seeking Gaara.

Finally, they found him, his body cold and lifeless.

"Gaara!" Hinata cried, tears flowing from her eyes like rivers.

"Come on, Gaara!" Naruto cried out. He let out an anguished cry when there was no response. Hinata began to sob. She brushed his burgundy bangs from his eyes.

Two of Naruto's clones got Gaara's body out of the clay while another Naruto took on Deidara. Hinata wasn't paying attention to the fight though: she was too distraught. She held Gaara's lifeless body to her, silently begging him to wake up.

Some time during the battle, Sakura, Elder Chiyo, and Team Guy showed up. Once the fight was over, Hinata and Naruto's clones brought Gaara's body to Sakura. She began examining him immediately. Hinata held his hand the whole time.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

She could only shake her head.

"No…" Hinata whispered. "He has to wake up…Come on, Gaara…Please wake up!"

She started to cry.

"Why? Why did Gaara have to die like this?" Naruto asked. "You're the Kazekage, damn it! You just became Kazekage!"

"Calm yourseld, Uzumaki Naruto." Elder Chiyo said.

"Shut the Hell up!" Naruto shouted. He was shaking, crying. "It's your fault! If you goddamned Sand shinobi hadn't put that monster inside of him this would have never happened. Do you have any idea the kind of burden he carried?! Damn the jinchuriki! You have no right to act like you're better than us, to label us, to use us! He was supposed to get married, damn it!"

Hinata sobbed harder at Naruto's words.

Elder Chiyo knelt beside Gaara's body, next to Hinata, and placed her hands over him. They started to glow with chakra.

"Elder Chiyo, that technique will…"

The old kunoichi cut her off with a glare.

"What's she trying to do?" Naruto asked.

Neji and Hinata activated their Byakugan. They saw the chakra flowing from the old woman to Gaara's body.

"She's going to bring Gaara back to life," Sakura answered.

"Bring him back to life? Can she actually do that?"

"This is a unique technique that only Elder Chiyo knows."

Hinata, Neji, and Kakashi could all see the consequence of the technique; it was taking her life as she gave her chakra to Gaara. As time passed, the chakra flow grew smaller and smaller.

"Damn," the old woman swore. "I don't have enough chakra left!"

Naruto knelt on the other side of Gaara and offered his hands.

"Please, use my chakra!" he said. "You can do it then, can't you, Granny?"

Hinata squeezed Gaara's hand.

'Can you hear this, Gaara?' she wondered to herself. 'Can you hear how precious you are to everyone here?'

Naruto placed his hands on top of Elder Chiyo's and the chakra flow grew strong again.

'Come back to me, Gaara…'


	9. Chapter 9

Whose hand is this? It's mine. Does this mean…I've become someone who people need?

Who's that? Is that me? Yes, it's me: me wanting to be needed by someone? Why? Why did I want that? Why did I yearn for that?

Those eyes…that nose…and that mouth…Why? Why is that 'Gaara'? I was in there. No… What am I anyway? I'm only aware of being me. So who am I? Am I anything more than just this small consciousness?

"Gaara!"

Who is that calling? Who are they calling to?

Whose hand…is this? What? It's just my hand again. My hand… I… Who am I?

That dark hair just now… Who does it belong to? Is there someone here besides me? Yes, there she is. Who is that?

"Gaara," the girl says with a smile.

She is clear to me now. Her eyes are like pearls, clear and pure. Who is she? Is she precious to me? Am I precious to her?

"It's time to wake up, now. Come back to me, Gaara…"


	10. Chapter 10

Gaara blinked. Was what he saw real? He was surrounded by his friends from Konoha and so many of his own people. Had they really come to save him?

"Everyone ran here to come save you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Gaara!" His Hinata threw herself into his arms, causing him to fall back slightly.

"Hinata…" He whispered into her hair. He could feel her tears falling onto his shoulder.

"Gaara-sama! Are you okay?" Matsuri exclaimed as she ran forward.

He nodded. There were cheers all around. Gaara was stunned.

"You caused a big fuss," Naruto said, a sly smile on his face.

"I'll say," Kankuro added. "You had me worried, little brother."

"Who do you two think you are?" Temari exclaimed. "Gaara is the Kazekage! Show some respect, you lowlifes!"

Hinata chuckled happily, still clinging to Gaara as though she were afraid he would slip away again.

"Gaara, how do you feel?" His sister asked. He tried to stand, but was struggling.

"You shouldn't start moving around yet. Your body is still very stiff."

"Temari's right, Gaara," Hinata said, placing a hand on his arm. "You need to rest and regain your strength."

Gaara listened to his sister and girlfriend's words and allowed people to fuss over him. Then something sparking caught his eye. He lifted Hinata's hand and saw his ring on her finger.

"You…You accepted?!"

"Of course, Gaara! I love you so much! There isn't anything in this world that will keep me from you. Not even death."

Gaara leaned in and kissed his fiancé, earning them an "aww" from the crowd around them (and some cries from his fan girls).


	11. Chapter 11

Several months later, Hinata and Gaara were married. Hinata handed over the title of Hyuga heir to her sister, Hanabi, but was happy to do so if it meant being with her Gaara. The entire Hyuga clan, along with the Hokage and all of Hinata and Gaara's friends, came to Suna. Hinata had been a little nervous about standing in front of all of Suna, but, with Gaara by her side, she could do anything. With Temari and Hanabi as bridesmaids and Naruto and Kankuro as groomsmen, the happy couple was married on a beautiful dessert day.


End file.
